Fastening means for suction cleaner end cover



Feb. 20, 1962 R. DESCARRIES 3,022,101

FASTENING MEANS FOR SUCTION CLEANER END COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed April 1, 1958 INVENTOR. 161 A! {0.0.1 4 7 A; Arra/P/mY Feb. 20, 1962 R. DESCARRIES 3,022,101

FASTENING MEANS FOR SUCTION CLEANER END COVER Original Filed April 1, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 85 FIG. 5 j 87 ray-ya INVENTOR.

United States Patenti) Montreal, Quebec, Canada, assign= Raymond Descarries,

Stockholm, Sweden, a

or to Aktiebolaget Electrolux,

corporation of Sweden Original application Apr. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 725,725.

Divided and this application Apr. 22, 1959, Ser. No.

4 Claims. (Cl. 292-114) My invention relates to suction cleaners. This application is a division of my application Serial No. 725,725, filed April 1, 1958, for Suction Cleaner.

An object of the invention is to provide a suction cleaner having a casing and a hinged cover therefor provided with an improved quick releasable latch for resiliently holding the cover in its closed position.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a suction cleaner embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the cleaner illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken at line 33 of FIG. 2 to illustrate parts more clearly;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly broken away and in section, of the right-hand end of the cleaner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the end cover in a partially open position; 1

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view, partly broken away and in section, to illustrate details of the latch shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view taken along line 66ofFIG.3; I

FIG. 7 is-a fragmentary vertical elevational view taken at line 7-7- of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are fragmentary vertical sectional views taken at lines 8-8 and 99 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly in section, taken at line 19-10 of FIG. 4, to illustrate details more clearly.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown by invention embodied in a horizontal tank-type suction cleaner 10 comprising a casing 11, a front end cover 12 and rear end cover 14. The casing 11 is provided with a handle 15 and wheels 16 and 17 to facilitate movement thereof on a supporting surface.

The front end cover 12, which is removably secured to the casing 11 in any suitable manner, is formed with an inlet 18 to which a suction hose (not shown) is adapted to be removably connected. Suitable cleaning appliances may be connected to a wand which in turn is connected to the outer free end of the suction hose and through which air flows into the front end of the casing by a suitable motor-fan unit disposed therein. Dirt entrained in air drawn into the inlet 18 is separated from the air when it passes through a dust collecting member, and air from which dirt has been removed is discharged from the casing 11 through an opening 21 in the rear end cover 14.

An electrical switch for controlling the supply of electrical energy to the motor-fan unit is controlled by a manually operable member 32.

The rear end cover 14 is provided with a pair of spaced apart arms 69 at the bottom thereof which project downward and also toward the casing 11, as best shown in FIG.

4. The lower ends of the arms 69 are pivotaily connected at 70 to a pair of brackets 71 depending downward and formed integrally with a rear end ring 63. The rear Wheels 17 illustrated in FIG. 1 may also be journaled at 70 to the brackets 71 in any suitable manner. 7

In accordance with my invention, the rear end cover 14 is provided with a quick releasable latch 84 for resiliently holding the cover 14 in its closed position. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, the latch 84 comprises a latch plate 85 of inverted U-shape which overlies the top of the rear end cover 14 when the latter is closed. At the rear part of the latch plate 84 the side Walls thereof are apertured to receive a pin 86 upon which are pivoted a pair of upwardly extending cars 87 provided at the rear end of a relatively stiff leaf spring 88. A pair of ears 89 at the forward end of the spring 8-8'are pivoted on a pin 99 at regions between a pair of vertical bosses 91 formed at the top of the rear end cover.

With the latch 84 holding the cover 14 in its closed position, as shown in FIG. 3, the latch plate overlies the extreme end of a-trim strip 45 at the top of the casing 11. Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 7, it will be seen that the opposing corners of the latch plate 85, at the forward end thereof, are provided with inwardly extending flanges 92 which serve as catches or clips to hold the rear end cover 14 against the rear end ring 63. As best seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 10, the latching clips 92 fit in lugs 93 forming a keeper at the top of the casing 11 at the rear end ring 63.

At the top part of the rear end ring 63 are provided a pair of spaced apart upright members 63a which form extensions of the sides of the inverted U-shape trim strip .5 and whose top edges are inturned slightly at 63b, as seen in FIG. 10. Although not shown, the inner surfaces of the upright members 63a are formed with recesses to receive bosses formed at the sides of the element 35 at the rear end thereof to limit forwardmovement of the element and position its rear end close to the inturned top portions 63b of the end ring 63. The forward ends of the top inturned edges 63b of members 94 are formed with forwardly projecting parts or lugs 93 which serve as the keeper referred to above and are engaged by the latching clips 92 when the rear end cover 14. is'latched in its close-d position.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, it will be seen that the side walls of the trim strip 45a but the upright parts 63a of the rear end ring 63 at 94. The top corners of the trim strip 45 at the extreme rear end thereof, are notched 'at 95, the notches being formed by removing material both at the top and side walls of the trim strip. As seen in FIG. 5, the notches 95 are formed to provide vertical edges at the side walls of the trim strip 45 which are inclined rearward toward the lugs 93 and spaced therefrom. As seen in FIG. 10, the notches 95 are also formed to provide clearance 96 between the top of the trim strip and the lugs 93 to provide a gap of adequate size between the lugs 93 and the notched corners 95 of the trim strip to facilitate positioning the latch clips 92 into the gap for engagement with the lugs.

The rear end cover is provided with a pair of spaced apart shoulders 97, as best seen in FIG. 6, against which the extreme rear end of the latch plate 85 rests. In the unlatched position of latch 84 the latch plate 85 is rnovable about the pin 86 between the solid and dotted line positions illustrated in FIG. 4. The latch plate 85 moves angularly about the forward pin when the latching clips 92 are inserted into the notches for engagement with the lugs 93, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Thereafter,

the rear part of the latch plate 85 is pushed downward against the shoulders 97, as illustrated in FIG. 3, which shows the rear end cover 14 in its latched position. During such downward movement of the latch plate 85, the

- zontally extending plane passing through the lugs 93 and the. forward pin 90. Conversely, when thelatch plate 85 latter snaps to its, closed positionand the stiff leaf spring is lifted from its lower position in FIG. 3, the tension of the spring 88 initially rnust beovercorne'by sufficient force to raise the'rear pin 86 upward past the dead-center position at which the spring 88- becomes ineffective to hold down the latch plate. Y

As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 the end of the latch plate 85 opposite to the end provided with the books 92 has a part 85a which is remote from the rear end of the casing ll and at the vicinity of the shoulders or stops 97' on the end cover 14 when the latch 84 is rendered operable to fasten the end cover. The part 85a is directly above a cavity 97a formed inthe end cover 14 between the shoulders or stops 97 and has a surfacefacing the longitudinal axis of the suction cleanerlO which is accessible for manually pushing the knuckle end 86 of the toggle in a direction radiallyoutward from and in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the Lcleaner.

It will now be understood that the leaf spring 88 and latch plate 85 form levers of a toggle latch, both of which extend in the same direction toward the'end of the casing 11 from the pivotal connections at 86 which constitute the, knuckle of the toggle. When the cover 14 is in its latched position, as seen in FIG. 3, the knuckle of the toggle latch is under tension on the end cover. Even with variations in manufacturing tolerances, all of the play that may occur between the end ring 63 and end cover 14 is effectively taken up by the relatively stifi leaf spring 88'to provide a good air-tight seal between a rear end cover closure plate 72 and a suitable resilient gasket (not shown) which is adapted to be fitted on the end ring 63.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, such variations and modifications arejcontemplated as fallwithin the tru'espirit and scope of the invention, as pointed out inthe following claims. a i Iclaim: 1

1- In fastening meansfor an end cover of a casing of an elongated horizontal tank-type suction cleaner, a first lever having at one end thereof a hook adapted to engage a keeper {011 the cleaner casing at a first region which is removed from the longitudinal axis of the cleaner, a

second lever connected at one end tothe end cover by a pivot immovable on the end cover and at a second region which is nearer to the longitudinal axis of the cleaner than the first region when the fastening means is renr 4 dered operable to fasten the end cover, the opposite ends of the levers being pivoted to one another to form a knuckle of a toggle from which both levers extend in the same direction toward the casing when the hook engages the keeper, the knuckle, when the hook engages the keeper, being movable through an arcto a thirdiregion on the end cover which is nearer to the longitudinal axis of the cleaner than the first and second regions, the toggle being so constructed and arranged that when the hook engages the keeper the knuckle is under tension responsive to movement thereof toits third region from one side to the opposite side of a horizontally extending plane passing through the first and second regions, the end cover having a stop upon which rests a part of the second lever remote from the end of thecasing to limit movement of the knuckle after it passes through the aforementioned plane to its third region, the second lever part at the vicinity of the stop having a surface facing the longitudinal axis of the suction cleaner, and the end cover having a cavity at the vicinity of the stop between the aforementioned surface and the longitudinal axis of the cleaner for manually pushing the knuckle end of the toggle in a direction radially outward from and in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the cleaner.

2. Fastening means as set forth in claim 1 in which the second lever comprises resilient means under tension when I and the knuckle is at the first lever comprises a member which is of U-shape in transverse section and includes a closed end and sides projecting therefrom toward the outer surface of the end cover when the fastening means is rendered operable tofasten the end cover, the hook at'thelone end" thereof being formed by inwardly extendingrflanges at regions of the sides of the member closely adjacent to the closed end thereof. i 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,560,827 Segesman July 17, 1951 2,602,685 Martinet et al. July 8, 1952 2,652,902 Sheahan Sept. 22, 1953 2,818,596 Martincc Jan. 7, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS I 261,245 Switzerland Aug. 1,1949 914,303 1946 France June 17, 

